Free TherianPromise by Cyndi Friberg Page A

conversations.
    “Hey, Enya, is Jake around.”
    “Kyle? Where the hell are you? Half of the network is out
looking for your sorry ass.”
    Leaning his head against the window, he smiled. Enya’s
familiar feistiness was a welcome reprieve from hours of confusion and pain.
“It’s a long story. We’re west of a town called Basalt. Any clue…”
    He heard Enya’s muffled protest as someone ripped the phone
out of her hand. “Have you passed Ruedi Reservoir?” The background noise
diminished as Jake walked into an office or storeroom.
    “Not yet. Last sign said we were forty-some miles from
Basalt.”
    “They found your truck at the cabin where you were supposed
to nab the other twin. Is Ava with you?”
    “Yeah, she’s here. We had to borrow a Jeep. Probably need to
ditch it soon.” Another spasm rippled through his gut and he clenched his teeth
to keep from moaning.
    “I’ll meet you in Basalt with a couple of my guys. We’ll lay
a false trail with the Jeep and get you two to safety.”
    “Sounds perfect. We’re on Frying Pan Road. Will that take
use all the way to Basalt?”
    “Yes. It will take you right through the center of town then
hang a left on Two Rivers Road. A couple of blocks down you’ll find a strip
mall on your right and a ball field on your left. Pull into the strip mall. We
should be waiting for you. We’re closer to Basalt than you are.”
    “Thanks, man. I appreciate this.”
    “I’ll add it to your tab.”
    Kyle ended the call but left the phone out in case they
needed Jake again. Kyle had a perfectly good GPS. Unfortunately, it was on the
dashboard of his truck.
    “He’s going to meet us in Basalt?” Ava’s eyes were wide and
she kept pressing her teeth into her lower lip. Though the expression was
charming, her anxiety disturbed him. Even with hunger tearing him apart, he
felt compelled to comfort her.
    “Less than an hour and we’re home free.” He paused,
breathing through a spasm. “Jake’s going to bring a couple of his guys with him
and they’ll take care of the Jeep.”
    “Did he explain where we are?” She manufactured a smile, but
her eyes were filled with worry.
    He was doing his best to conceal his pain, but she was
obviously not convinced. “He said he’d beat us to the rendezvous, so we must
not be too far from Aspen.”
    “That’s where Jake lives?”
    “Yeah. He runs a bar there with his sister.” Gnawing pain
rolled over him again and a strangled groan slipped past his lips. Despite his
determination to resist the urgent hunger, he was about to lose control.
    “Will they be able to help you?”
    All he could do was nod. The pain grew worse with each
passing moment. His cat stretched and struggled against his human cage. He
should have handed the phone to her, had Jake give her directions.
    He gasped then forced the words out in a harsh, strained
rush. “Keep going until you reach Basalt. Left on Two Rivers Road.”
    “Can’t you navigate as we go? I’m not sensitive about
backseat drivers.”
    “Strip mall…on right.”
    “Oh God, Kyle, should I pull over?”
    “No!” He clutched his belly, shaking helplessly. “You
promised not to run! Now tell me…directions.”
    She started to repeat what he’d just said but the roaring in
his ears overtook the sound. Damn it. He wasn’t going to make it to Basalt. He
ripped his shirt off and unfastened his pants then dove toward the backseat,
shifting in midair.
     
    Oh my God. The words repeated through Ava’s mind as
she dragged her gaze back to the road. She had to be asleep at the wheel.
People didn’t turn into animals. Not in reality. Yet Kyle’s long, lean body had
rippled and… flowed right out of his pants and onto the backseat. Human
one minute and— No, that wasn’t right. According to Kyle, he wasn’t human.
    And neither was she.
    She glanced over her shoulder, needing to assure herself
that a large, limp cougar was now sprawled across the backseat of the Jeep. A
Jeep they’d